The use of venoms of various origin as components in medicaments is of long standing. Dilute solutions of different hymenoptera venoms are used for injection in immune therapy for patients who are allergic to the stings of the insects. Also, dilute solutions of the venoms are used as allergens by application to the skin in testing for allergy. In recent time, bee venom has been used in the management of certain types of bronchial asthma (Kirusha V P et al., Ter. Arkh. 60 (1988), 81-84: Organisation and Results of Treatment Of Bronchial Asthma Patients in the District of Vologda) and in the management of syringomyelia and various related conditions (Ludyanskii E A, Zh. Nevropatol. Psikhiatr. 91 (1991), 102-03. Other diseases in which bee venom has been used or tested are multiple sclerosis, arthritis and diseases which influence the coagulation properties of the blood. Other hymenoptera venoms have been suggested for treatment and prophylaxis of gingivitis. WO 91/08753 (to Gesellschaft fur Strahlen- und Umweltforschung MBH) discloses the use of an agent comprising at least one hymenoptera venom or a component thereof in the treatment of retroviral infections, in particular HIV infection, in a mammal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,608 (to Vespa Laboratories, Inc.) discloses the use of at least one hymenoptera venom or a component thereof in combination with an antibiotic agent in the treatment of mammalian infections, including bacterial, viral, and cancerous infections.
Combating virus infections is important not only in mammals. Thus, in poultry breeding virus infections may impart considerable losses.
One of the most promising agents for the treatment of virus infections caused i.a. by herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 and varicella-zoster virus is known as acyclovir (Whitley R J, et al., N Engl J Med 327 (1992), 782-89: Acyclovir: A Decade Later). In herpes genitalis, oral or intravenous therapy with acyclovir which are considered more effective than topical application of acyclovir does not reduce the frequency of recurrences. Although the indications for acyclovir therapy expand, the appearance of isolates resistant to acyclovir underscores the need for continued development of new agents with new mechanisms of action.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved medicament and method for the treatment of DNA virus infections, preferably in mammals and birds, more preferred in mammals, which is based on a hymenoptera venom or an active proteinaceous or polypeptide component contained therein or mixtures thereof.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a medicament and a method wherein the hymenoptera venom or component thereof is selected from the group consisting essentially of honey bee venom, bumble bee venom, yellow jacket venom, bald faced hornet venom, active proteinaceous components of said venoms, active polypeptide components of said venoms, and mixtures thereof.